Thomas and the Billboard
'''Thomas and the Billboard '''is the first episode of the twelfth season and the two hundred and eighty-ninth episode of the series. In this episode, Diesel obscures Thomas in a photograph of the engines. Plot It was Knapford Station's birthday and all of the engines are preparing for the festivities. A photographer comes to take a photo of the engines to put up a billboard at Knapford. Thomas was proudest of all; he had never been shown on a billboard before. To fit all of the engines into the photo, the photographer tells Diesel to move forward, but Diesel accidentally obscures Thomas. Later, Thomas puffs into Maron to collect the billboard, and is very surprised to find that he was out of the photograph. Thomas thinks this was on purpose; he is so distracted that he barely notices a cow up ahead. He swerves into a siding at the last minute and knocks the billboard into a nearby river. Thomas goes back to Maron to explain what had happened; the photographer doesn't mind and tells Thomas to collect the engines again. Thomas was about to go when Diesel arrives. Thomas refuses to tell Diesel about the new photo as he doesn't want Diesel to spoil this photo too. Soon, all of the engines are back at the sheds, except Diesel. Gordon, Emily, and James are worried as they have jobs to do, but Thomas is sure that he will be quick to fetch the photographer. On the way to Maron, Thomas sees Diesel, who was heading straight for the sheds. Thomas is worried, as Diesel is about to find about about the photo, so he took a branch line back to Tidmouth. The engines get very cross when Thomas tells them to come back later, unknown that it's just an excuse so Diesel won't see them; they soon had gone, just as Diesel rolls past. Later, the engines are back at the sheds, and Thomas puffs back to Maron to fetch the photographer. As the photographer climbs into Thomas' cab, Thomas could see Diesel coming. Worried that Diesel would see the photographer, he wheeshes a lot of steam to cover up the station, and Diesel rolls past, but the camera is now wet. The photographer has to let the camera dry, so Thomas tells the engines to come back later. Soon, the engines had came back, but they still have not done their jobs. As the photographer was getting ready, nobody, except Thomas, notices that Diesel isn't there. Just then, Diesel, who was doing the others' jobs, runs around the bend, to find all of the engines, ready to take the photograph for the new billboard. He stops so suddenly that the that the bunting falls off one of his trucks. Diesel is cross, as nobody had told him about it. The photographer is confused; he had told Thomas to tell everybody, including Diesel. Thomas feels terrible; all of the engines know that Thomas was the culprit. Just then, the Fat Controller arrives, and starts telling Gordon, James, and Emily off for being late and explains that Diesel had to do their jobs, and because of that, Diesel is now late with his own work. This makes Thomas feel even worse, and owns up that he didn't tell Diesel about the photograph because Diesel had obscured him earlier. Diesel objects that the photographer had told him to move, but the photographer explains that Diesel rolled too far. Thomas apologises to Diesel and the Fat Controller for everything that has happened. Everything is soon rectified and the engines line up to take the photo, this time with Diesel not covering up Thomas. After the photo is taken, Thomas agrees to do Diesel's work, while Diesel takes the new billboard to Knapford. That evening, Diesel picks up the new billboard and takes it to the festivities at Knapford. The party is a great success as Thomas and Diesel agree that the new billboard at Knapford is the best billboard they had ever seen. Characters *Thomas *Gordon *James *Emily *Diesel *Sir Topham Hatt *The Photographer *Percy (does not speak) *Sodor Brass Band (do not speak) *Mr. Giggles (does not speak) *Edward (not named; does not speak) *Henry (not named; does not speak) *Toby (not named; does not speak) *Annie and Clarabel (cameo) *The Ginger-haired Boy (cameo) Locations *Knapford *M.C. BUNN *Tidmouth Sheds *Maron *The Smelter's Yard *Maithwaite *Brendam Docks (mentioned) *Wellsworth (mentioned) *Sodor Airport (mentioned) *Tidmouth (mentioned) Gallery ThomasandtheBillboardUStitlecard.png|US Title card ThomasandtheBillboard1.png ThomasandtheBillboard2.png ThomasandtheBillboard3.png ThomasandtheBillboard4.png ThomasandtheBillboard5.png ThomasandtheBillboard6.png ThomasandtheBillboard7.png ThomasandtheBillboard8.png ThomasandtheBillboard9.png ThomasandtheBillboard10.png ThomasandtheBillboard11.png ThomasandtheBillboard12.png ThomasandtheBillboard13.png ThomasandtheBillboard14.png ThomasandtheBillboard15.png ThomasandtheBillboard16.png ThomasandtheBillboard17.png ThomasandtheBillboard18.png ThomasandtheBillboard19.png ThomasandtheBillboard20.png ThomasandtheBillboard21.png ThomasandtheBillboard22.png ThomasandtheBillboard23.png ThomasandtheBillboard24.png ThomasandtheBillboard25.png ThomasandtheBillboard26.png ThomasandtheBillboard27.png ThomasandtheBillboard28.png ThomasandtheBillboard29.png ThomasandtheBillboard30.png ThomasandtheBillboard31.png ThomasandtheBillboard32.png ThomasandtheBillboard33.png ThomasandtheBillboard34.png ThomasandtheBillboard35.png ThomasandtheBillboard36.png ThomasandtheBillboard37.png ThomasandtheBillboard38.png ThomasandtheBillboard39.png ThomasandtheBillboard40.png ThomasandtheBillboard41.png ThomasandtheBillboard42.png ThomasandtheBillboard43.png ThomasandtheBillboard44.png ThomasandtheBillboard45.png ThomasandtheBillboard46.png ThomasandtheBillboard47.png ThomasandtheBillboard48.png ThomasandtheBillboard49.png ThomasandtheBillboard50.png ThomasandtheBillboard51.png ThomasandtheBillboard52.png ThomasandtheBillboard53.png ThomasandtheBillboard54.png ThomasandtheBillboard55.png ThomasandtheBillboard56.png ThomasandtheBillboard57.png ThomasandtheBillboard58.png ThomasandtheBillboard59.png ThomasandtheBillboard60.png ThomasandtheBillboard61.png ThomasandtheBillboard62.png ThomasandtheBillboard63.png ThomasandtheBillboard64.png ThomasandtheBillboard65.png ThomasandtheBillboard66.png ThomasandtheBillboard67.png ThomasandtheBillboard68.png ThomasandtheBillboard69.png ThomasandtheBillboard70.png ThomasandtheBillboard71.png ThomasandtheBillboard72.png ThomasandtheBillboard73.png ThomasandtheBillboard74.png ThomasandtheBillboard75.png ThomasandtheBillboard76.png ThomasandtheBillboard77.png ThomasandtheBillboard78.png ThomasandtheBillboard79.png ThomasandtheBillboard80.png ThomasandtheBillboard81.png ThomasandtheBillboard82.png ThomasandtheBillboard83.png ThomasandtheBillboard84.png ThomasandtheBillboard85.png ThomasandtheBillboard86.png ThomasandtheBillboard87.png ThomasandtheBillboard88.png ThomasandtheBillboard89.png ThomasandtheBillboard90.png ThomasandtheBillboard91.png ThomasandtheBillboard92.png ThomasandtheBillboard93.png ThomasandtheBillboard94.png ThomasandtheBillboard95.png ThomasandtheBillboard96.png ThomasandtheBillboard97.png ThomasandtheBillboard98.png ThomasandtheBillboard99.png ThomasandtheBillboard100.png ThomasandtheBillboard101.png Category:Season 12 episodes Category:Thomas and Friends episodes Category:2008 television episodes Category:2000s television episodes Category:Episodes